PERTH (Reuters) - Spain secured a surprise victory in theHopman Cup with a comeback triumph against Serbia in the finalof the mixed teams event in Perth on Saturday. FernandoVerdasco and Anabel Medina Garrigues beat the more fanciedpairing of Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic 6-4 7-5 in thedeciding mixed doubles to secure a 2-1 win.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Chris Paul and the Clippersmaintained a grip on top billing in Los Angeles with a tense107-102 victory over the Lakers on Friday to cement theirstatus as the city's best team. Paul withstood a fiercechallenge from Kobe Bryant, recording 30 points and 13 assiststo Bryant's 38 points, and the Clippers moved further ahead inboth the standings and the crosstown rivalry.

Boozer leaves Heat reeling as Bulls dominate

MIAMI (Reuters) - The Miami Heat's rebounding troubles costthem dearly as Carlos Boozer scored 27 points and pulled down12 boards to spark the Chicago Bulls to a 96-89 win over theNBA champions in South Florida on Friday. Although LeBron Jamesscored 30 points, the Heat fell behind in the first quarter andwere never able to recover as Chicago improved to 18-13 in theEastern Conference.

Japan's Takahashi to quit after Sochi

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's former world champion DaisukeTakahashi plans to hang up his skates after the 2014 WinterOlympics in Sochi. Takahashi, the 2010 world champion andOlympic bronze medalist at Vancouver the same year, told localmedia on Saturday: "I think my career will finish with Sochi.

Murray backs time penalty rule after Brisbane win

BRISBANE (Reuters) - Andy Murray has thrown his unequivocalsupport behind the crackdown on time-wasting in tennis becausehe believes it will turn the sport into even more of a survivalof the fittest. The U.S. Open champion was speaking after heeased into the Brisbane International final on Saturday whenhis opponent Kei Nishikori retired but he does have one issuewith the ruling, admitting the 25-second limit is a little tooshort.